Swinerton Selected by Scatec Solar to Build 104 MW Solar Project

Swinerton Renewable Energy and Scatec Solar have started construction on a 104 MW (dc) photovoltaic solar plant in Iron County, Utah. Scatec Solar, the project's developer and long-term owner, has awarded Swinerton a contract to provide turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and operations and maintenance (O&M) services for the project. When operational by the end of 2015, the plant will be Utah's largest solar energy generation facility, generating enough energy to power approximately 18,500 homes annually.

Estimating 300 jobs at the peak of construction, Swinerton will source 80 percent of their project workforce from the local community, creating both construction and long-term employment opportunities in the region.

"Swinerton is excited to continue our successful partnership with Scatec Solar -- an innovative leader in renewable energy -- and to bring jobs and years of clean power to the Parowan residents. We are pleased to announce the start of construction for the Utah Red Hills Renewable Park -- a great project for the city of Parowan," commented George Hershman, Vice President and Division Manager of Swinerton Renewable Energy.

Scatec Solar, which developed the Utah Red Hills Renewable Park from inception, will support project procurement and construction management and will manage and operate the plant after completion. The company recently announced the close of financing for the $188M project -- Google is providing tax equity, Prudential Capital Group providing debt financing, and Scatec Solar providing sponsor equity.

"The Utah Red Hills Renewable Park will provide the residents of Utah access to the superb solar power potential available in their state," said Luigi Resta, Managing Director of Scatec Solar North America. "After several years of developing this project, Scatec Solar is proud to partner with Swinerton Renewable Energy to build the first utility-scale PV project in Utah."

The Utah Red Hills Renewable Park, set to be built on a site with excellent solar irradiation, will generate around 210 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year, which will be fed into the grid under a twenty-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with PacifiCorp's Rocky Mountain Power, according to the utility's obligation under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act.

The ground-mounted photovoltaic solar facility is being developed on approximately 650 acres of privately-owned land in Parowan, Utah, will deploy approximately 325,000 PV modules on a single-axis tracking system and will interconnect to an existing transmission line.